<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Midnight Paradox by DongLongQua</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23786095">Midnight Paradox</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/DongLongQua/pseuds/DongLongQua'>DongLongQua</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Life Is Strange (Video Game), Original Work</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Other</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 11:06:48</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,910</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23786095</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/DongLongQua/pseuds/DongLongQua</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>FBI Agent, Luna Rivers is hired to solve the mystery of a girl that disappeared in 1974, while simultaneously discovering her connection to a more spiritual nature.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Characters</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is not an actual novel/story per se; this is more like a plot style fanfic. (think of it as reading the plot in Wikipedia) </p><p>It is set in the Life is Strange Universe.</p><p>The first chapter will just be a list of Characters and a little background information on each of them.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>
    <em>MAIN CHARACTERS </em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Luna Rivers:</b>
  <span> Born on May 25, 1975 in Arcadia Bay, Oregon. Her family moved to Cinders Town when she was 3 years old (her parents got a better paying job). When she was 8, her father and 5 year old sister died in a car crash. When she was 10, she met Fletcher Mond, and although his first reaction to her was quite bad.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She became best friends with Emma Goulding after saving her from a bunch of racists.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fletcher saved [Luna] from [the same racist] bullies, who pinned her down and tried to cut her hair as revenge. She sported an undercut all throughout High School as a reminder of how Fletcher saved her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But something happened between [Luna and Fletcher] after high school that caused their friendship to split and made them lead separate lives. Now a 38 year old FBI agent, she specializes in missing persons cases. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Fletcher Mond:</b>
  <span> Born on November 09, 1975 in Los Angeles, California, Fletcher’s family was well off but his father decided to move to Cinders Town for a more quiet and peaceful life. When Fletcher and Luna first met, he was mean to her,  thinking that she was pretending to be nice to him for his money. After he saw her help Emma from other bullies and racists, he realized that [Luna] was a genuinely kind person; he saved Luna from the same group of bullies when they tried to cut her hair. They became best friends that lasted all throughout High School. But after graduation, something happened only known between them that caused their friendship to split and made them lead separate lives. After serving two tours in the army, he is now a 38 year old Private Investigator. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Emma Goulding:</b>
  <span> Born on April 16, 1975 in Cinders Town, California, to an even richer family; she spent most of her childhood days with her brother, Matthew, playing chess and other board games. When she was 10, she got bullied by a group of racist kids. She was saved by Luna, and they became fast friends. After Luna and Fletcher had their falling out, she acted as mediator between them, trying her best to make them reconnect. [Luna and Fletcher separately] still maintained a close friendship with her. She married Spencer Eriksen when she was 28. She is now a 38 year old freelance journalist for the local paper in San Francisco.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <b>
    <em>THE HAWKWOOD FAMILY</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Nathaniel Hawkwood:</b>
  <span> Born on March 01, 1933. A prominent business tycoon in the 1960s and 1970s. Former CEO of Hawkwood Industries, the largest agricultural and fish producer in the West Coast in its heyday. He is now a retired 80 year old man, desperate to find out what happened to her niece. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Aurelius Hawkwood: </b>
  <span>Born on May 4, 1957. First child of Mathias. When he was 5, Mathias stopped abusing his wife and started abusing him (physically). When he was 15, he started having a relationship with a man, which Mathias disapproved of and started abusing him more severely. After Mathias’ death, he shadowed her aunt, Eliza, on how to run the company and just 10 years later, he became the CEO of Hawkwood Industries. A year later, he met Ben Howard, and the two started a relationship.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p><b>Raven Hawkwood: </b><span>Born on October 11, 1959. Daughter</span> <span>of Mathias Hawkwood. Twin Sister of Riley Hawkwood. Ever since a young age, she has developed a fascination for Hummingbirds. She grew a very close bond with her twin sister and a very deep hatred for Aurelius and Mathias. She is now a 53 year old highschool teacher for Blackwell Academy.</span></p><p> </p><p><b>Riley Hawkwood</b><span>: Born on October 11, 1959. Daughter</span> <span>of Mathias Hawkwood. Twin sister of Raven Hawkwood. Ever since she was young, Riley has always been curious, often reading books all day until she fell asleep. When she was 15, she had a relationship with Ellie Davis, her classmate in Cinders High. Because of this relationship, she was abused by her father. She mysteriously disappeared without a trace in 1974. </span></p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Miranda Hawkwood:</b>
  <span> Born on August 08, 1939. The youngest daughter of Mathias and Vanessa. Considered to be an impossible child, as Vanessa gave birth to her she was told that she would never conceive after the twins. Miranda is an exceptional beauty but a loner. She was murdered in 1992 by a deranged killer. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Mathias Hawkwood:</b>
  <span> Born on March 26, 1935. Father of Aurelius, Raven, Riley, and Miranda. Husband of Vanessa. Younger brother of Nathaniel and Eliza. He and his brother Nathaniel ran Hawkwood Industries, with him focusing on sales. In 1969, he read Midnight Paradox, a book that was about resurrection and revenge. He died in 1973, shot himself in the chest, outside his house. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Vanessa Hawkwood:</b>
  <span> Born on August 08, 1939. Vanessa and Mathias met after the latter went home from the Korean War. They instantly fell in love and married a year later. She suffered the brunt of Mathias’ abuse until Aurelius was born. Vanessa gave birth to the twins in 1959. Then she gave birth to her last daughter, Miranda in 1973. With the death of her husband and two daughters, she became a very cruel and harsh person to everyone except Aurelius. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Eliza Hawkwood:</b>
  <span> Born on March 30, 1934. Middle child of the three. She grew up kind and caring unlike her two brothers (Nathaniel who was disciplined and cold; Mathias who was a manipulator and sadist). She was the one who first noticed the sister's abuse at the hands of Mathias. She loved the twins like her own daughter. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Maya Hawkwood:</b>
  <span> The youngest of the Hawkwoods. A mysterious kid who seems to know more than she should.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <b>
    <em>OTHER CHARACTERS:</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Cody Walker: </b>
  <span>Luna's partner in the FBI. He and Luna were partners in the academy. They had a very professional relationship at first but they eventually became a couple. When Luna got a tip about Sven Mathers’ shady dealings and business, he and Luna tried to take his operation down but the Intel was faulty resulting in a failed raid; Luna decided to take the fall for it. Cody wanted to investigate further but was killed by an unknown assailant in his apartment. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Assistant Director Walters: </b>
  <span>Luna and Cody’s superior officer. </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <b>Sven Mathers: </b>
  <span>CEO of Mathers industries. He started his career working for Nathaniel Hawkwood but after a while he left and started his own company. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapters 1-5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This Story is inspired (heavily inspired) by The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. It also takes some inspiration from the X-Files episode "Hellbound"</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Chapter 1 – Where to Run?</b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Dec. 20, 2012. – Washington D.C. </span>
  </em>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>After a raid gone wrong plus a failed investigation, arrest, and the death of her partner), FBI agent Luna Rivers was sued by Sven Mathers; a relatively short trial and a guilty verdict later, she was suspended. Her Superior, Assistant Director Walters, tried to assure her that everything was fine but she was too shaken and sad to care.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the office, she felt bad and apologized to her co-workers, most of whom now resent her, while some still believed her, including A.D. Walters. But due to policy, she was suspended for 12 months and had to pay $300,000 in damages. She decided to lay low for a while with her mother who lived in San Francisco.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Chapter 2 – A New Road Ahead</b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Dec. 25, 2012 – San Francisco, California</span>
  </em>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>During the Rivers Family Christmas Party, Luna received a call from a man named Kona, on behalf of Nathaniel Hawkwood (a prominent business tycoon). [Kona] invites her to go to Cinders Town (specifically on Ashen Island) in California to talk to Nathaniel who wants to hire her for a secret, and time sensitive, assignment. She refused at first but eventually agreed to meet Nathaniel out of curiosity and kindness. The next day, she decided to get on her Yamaha V-Max and drive up to Cinders Town.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Chapter 3 – Private Eye</b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Dec. 21, 2012 – Seattle, Oregon</span>
  </em>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>While on the job investigating a suspect, who he caught cheating, Fletcher receives a text from an unknown number about what happened to Luna; after watching an interview of Sven badmouthing Luna, he got angry and decided to take him down. He contacts his employer, having finished his business (sending the data to him), he asks to go on a leave; his boss approves. But before anything else, he goes to an auto shop in South Seattle to get his grey 1969 Ford Mustang from Esteban Diaz. Back in his apartment, he does some research on Sven, where he lives, where he works, his company, his car, etc.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Chapter 4 – Unresolved </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Dec. 26, 2012 – Ashen Island, Cinders Town, California</span>
  </em>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>While Luna was cruising through Cinders Town, she contemplates on how much has changed since she left. She drives up to the Hawkwood Manor; she is greeted by Kona and takes her to Nathaniel. He tells her the story of her missing niece, Riley Hawkwood, who mysteriously disappeared on the day of the annual Fish Festival Parade in 1974 (an accident also happened on the same day involving the collapse of a bridge that was being built). He then tasks her to find out what happened to her under the guise of helping his nephew, Aurelius, write an autobiography about the Hawkwood family. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She refused at first, stating that she doesn’t have the skill nor the experience for a case that complex (and old), but Nathaniel explains that the previous detectives/investigators he hired were too old and cynical so he wanted someone with a younger, fresher mind, not bogged down by cynicism to investigate the case; he also offers her money (or payment for service) and a chance to give Cody justice. She agrees. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She goes back home (in the morning of the 27th) and said goodbye to her mother and her best friend Emma Goulding (Luna tells her where she was going and a vague idea of what she was offered to do.)</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Chapter 5 – Nothing Professional. </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Dec.27, 2012 – San Francisco, California</span>
  </em>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Fletcher goes to his friend (CJ) and obtains a high frequency and near untraceable tapping device (dubbed ‘The Tattler’). When asked if it’s for work, he said no. CJ fears for the man that crossed Fletcher. [Fletcher] sneaks into Sven’s apartment and successfully taps his phone and personal computer. He can access emails, calls, texts, etc. but can’t get through the security of the company’s servers (to find incriminating evidence against him). On the evening of the 27th, he goes to his best friend, Emma Goulding for help (because her husband works for Sven’s company and is a pretty good hacker himself). She agrees to let her husband help on the condition that [Fletcher] helps Luna with her case. He accepts but makes her promise not to tell Luna about what he’s doing. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapters 6-10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Chapter 6 – What Can You Tell Me?</b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Dec. 28, 2012 – Ashen Island, Cinders Town, California</span>
  </em>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Luna arrived early in the morning and unpacked her things in the small cabin that she was given (for the duration of the investigation). Karl, the caretaker, helps her with moving her equipment and the materials she needs for the case. She reads through some of them and starts taking down notes, picture webs, etc. After some reading, she decided that she wanted to talk to Riley’s sister, Raven, first. She goes to Nathaniel to find out where she was but Nathaniel laughed and warned her that Raven hated the Hawkwood family the most and that attempting to talk to her without knowing why, will result in wasted time and effort. So she is suggested to get to know the family first before talking to [Raven] though it may not be enough. Aurelius, Nathaniel’s nephew, helps her and the best place to start was with [Aurelius and Raven’s] mother, Vanessa. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Chapter 7 – Talking Voices</b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Dec. 30, 2012 – Ashen Island, Cinders Town, California</span>
  </em>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Aurelius takes Luna to Vanessa’s house but [Vanessa] refuses to talk to Luna, claiming that she was not welcome in their home. Aurelius tries to convince her but to no avail. He wanted to try (and convince her) again, privately this time, and told Luna to talk to Eliza (Nathaniel &amp; Mathias’ sister) who lives next door. She heads there but is distracted by a young girl skipping stones near the lake behind Vanessa’s house. The girl introduces herself as Maya Hawkwood, Vanessa’s granddaughter. Realizing that Luna was friendly, she tells her everything she knows about Riley, even claiming that the information came from Riley herself (this makes Luna think that she's talking to ghosts). She also asks (or rather tasks) her to find and read the story called “Midnight Paradox”. Maya goes back inside the house as soon as Aurelius shows up (saying that Vanessa needed help moving around the house). Aurelius was confused as to what Luna was doing there; he tells her that Vanessa still refused to talk to her (after talking to many detectives and still not finding anything, she just gave up and didn’t bother). The two move on to Eliza’s house. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Chapter 8 – Sister’s Bond? </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Dec. 30, 2012 – Ashen Island, Cinders Town, California</span>
  </em>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>They reach the front of Eliza’s house but Aurelius is suddenly called back at home, leaving Luna to talk with Eliza alone. She invites her in and is actually kind to her. Luna learns that the twins were close to her daughter, Ana and thus also loved the twins like her own. She also reveals that Mathias abused his daughters; whenever they were in her house, she would see bruises on some parts of their body (but he apparently abused Riley more than Raven). She regrets not being able to do anything about it and that Mathias’ death was good riddance. Luna wanted to talk to Ana, but she was out of the country due to work. Eliza gives her a photo of Riley with her girlfriend, Ellie Davis, hoping that it might help her investigation somehow. Luna goes back to her cabin and updates her information. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Chapter 9 – Incomplete Information</b>
</p><p><em><span>January 07, 2013 -</span></em> <em><span>Crescent City, California</span></em><span><br/>
</span><span>Luna finds out that the original detective assigned to the case (after not being able to solve it) killed himself on the same year and day that Luna was born. So she dug and found that only two of the six detectives were still alive; one was a 80-year old and the other was halfway around the world in Australia. She decided to find and talk to the first investigator, Lliam Hunningway, who was only a 20 minute drive away from Cinders Town. </span></p><p>
  <span>During their meeting, although he was old and frail, he still remembered many details and [his] findings quite vividly. The two discuss their notes and findings, even exchanging theories as to what could have happened, it ultimately led to nowhere. Before she left, she asked about where she might read or find Midnight Paradox. Lliam is disturbed by the question, nervously asking where she heard it. Luna answers but Lliam doesn’t know who Maya was. Luna dismissed it as a simple age difference (Maya wouldn’t’ve been born yet when he investigated the case). She apologizes and leaves. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Chapter 10 – What is Forbidden. </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>January 07, 2013 - Ashen Island, Cinders Town, California</span>
  </em>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>On her way back to the cabin, she meets Ben, who was on his way to Aurelius’ house (for dinner). He invites her too; she accepts. During dinner, Aurelius shares his accounts of the fateful day; when he arrived, what he did, etc. He also shares that most of his family, especially his father, Mathias, are very homophobic and only his uncle, Nathaniel and aunt Eliza accepted him for having a relationship with Ben. Luna curiously asks if the twins were gay, but Aurelius claims that only [the twins] truly know. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Back in her cabin, Luna, after reviewing all her gathered information, believes that she has enough information to talk to Raven. So she tracks her down, and finds out that she is a teacher at Blackwell Academy. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapters 11-15</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Arcadia Bay Cameo in this bunch.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Chapter 11 – Burning the Midnight Oil.</b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>January 09, 2013 - Cinders Town, California</span>
  </em>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Fletcher was working late at night. He easily installs another Tattler in Sven’s Company servers, allowing him to peek on some sensitive information; but he is cautious since he doesn’t want to get detected. He spends the rest of the night researching the Hawkwood case in the Public Library. He mostly finds information that Luna already found (he assumes that Luna already knows what he knows). </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After returning from a bathroom and coffee break, there was an old book, Midnight Paradox, beside his laptop. He cautiously (and nervously) looked around but found no one. After a few more hours, he hits a dead end in his research, which made him a bit bored; so he read [Midnight Paradox].   </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Though he was intrigued by the story, he didn't find anything special about it, so he decided to go home. Before he left, he bumped into an old Highschool teacher of his, Mr. Kirigaya. Kirigaya now works at the library and asked Fletcher if he felt or saw anything unusual. He lied and said no. Kirigaya, upon seeing the Midnight Paradox book, knew he was lying. He lets him go though, while [creepily] asking himself who is it that [Fletcher] loves so much. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Extra Chapter</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Shortly after Fletcher left, Kirigaya went to the basement of the library and into the secure archives of rare books. He confirms his suspicions when he saw that a book was missing from one of the dusty shelves; a small handprint was left. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Chapter 12 – Return Home.</b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>January 11, 2013 - Arcadia Bay, Oregon</span>
  </em>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Early in the morning, Luna hops on her bike and drives to Arcadia Bay, her birth place. She immediately goes to Blackwell Academy and gets there just after school (half-day). She tries to just walk in but David Madsen stopped her. However, after realizing who she was, he agreed to let her talk to Raven. The two “bond” (talking about David's service and Luna’s troubles regarding her job); he drops her off in front of Raven's door. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luna enters, she introduces herself and gets straight to the point, but Raven didn't want to talk to her because she thinks that [Luna] was just like the other detectives that interviewed her in the past. Luna proves her wrong; (She guessed correctly that Riley {and Aurelius} was beaten and abused more than Raven because she was in a same-sex relationship, Ellie Davis {and Aurelius was in a relationship with Ben}. This fact was something no other investigator found out). </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Raven is impressed and gives her Riley’s secret diary, revealing that Riley was looking into people that she thinks that Mathias killed, and that’s why she was killed. Before leaving, Luna asks Raven about Midnight Paradox. She was obviously disturbed by the question and even asked where she heard about it; again, she hasn’t heard about Maya but Luna rationalized and ignored it (since Raven hasn’t been back in Cinders (or even communicated with anyone there) in 20 years, and Maya is 12, she most likely haven't heard of her). </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Chapter 13 – An Old Friend.</b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>January 11, 2013 - Ashen Island, Cinders Town, California</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>
      <br/>
    </span>
  </em>
  <span>Upon returning to her cabin (around 18:00), she saw a familiar ‘69 Mustang parked in front. Knowing exactly whose it was, she pulled out her gun and stormed her cabin. She finds Fletcher on the table, calmly eating a burger and reading through her notes, even though there was a gun pointed at his head. Fletcher is impressed with Luna’s investigation progress (though she doesn’t care). Luna kept her gun when Fletcher placed the copy of Midnight Paradox on the desk. Fletcher read [Luna’s] notes to get up to speed while Luna read Midnight Paradox. Using the diary Raven gave to Luna, they began to understand a connection between the story and the disappearance of Riley: the murders that Riley was looking into were exactly the same as in the story. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The problem was that there were 12 names in the diary yet only 6 match with the deaths in the story. The other 6 names were still a mystery. Fletcher's theory is that someone followed the footsteps of Mathias and was inspired to kill like him. Another thing he noticed was that the first six names seemed random (4 men 2 women), yet the other 6, were all women of different races and ethnicities.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luna decided to go to Mathias’ abandoned house near the lake to find any clues. Fletcher stayed in the cabin to research background information about the other 6 women that were killed.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Chapter 14 – Near Miss.</b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>January 11, 2013 - Ashen Island, Cinders Town, California</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>
      <br/>
    </span>
  </em>
  <span>Luna goes to the abandoned house and searched for anything she can tie to the other 6 murders but she didn’t find anything except for a bunch of old polaroid photos of the Hawkwood Compound, hand written copies of some pages of Midnight Paradox, and a bunch of photos taken on the afternoon of the Fish Festival of 1974 (all found in a secret drawer compartment). She keeps them and goes to the place where Mathias shot himself, near the tool shed by the lake (about 20 meters away from the house). </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Upon inspection of the shed, she discovered a cavity underneath that could easily fit an adult human being (she even found an old ripped piece of denim near the “entrance hole”). She concluded that this was probably a place where the killer used to store bodies for unknown purposes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As soon as she got out of the shed, someone pushed her, causing her to fall into the water while simultaneously hearing a gunshot. Upon a quick self inspection, the bullet grazed her head, causing it to bleed. She pulled out her gun and tried to find the shooter, but she didn't see anything, so she sprinted back to the cabin while being shot at. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Chapter 15 – Calm Down.</b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>January 11, 2013 - Ashen Island, Cinders Town, California</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>
      <br/>
    </span>
  </em>
  <span>When Luna got back to the cabin, Fletcher was obviously surprised. He cut some of her hair (giving her a slight swept undercut look) so he can clean and stitch her wound (something he learned during his time in the army). </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luna goes to her room and tries to calm down. Fletcher sets up some motion sensors he had with him to cover the three entry points of the house. Luna calls Fletcher in her room and gives him some not subtle hints (standing in front of him fully naked) that she wanted to have sex with him. Fletcher refused at first, stating that it was probably a bad idea but Luna “convinces” him; they make love for the first time in 12 years. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the morning, Luna was noticeably calmer and happier. Luna then gives herself a full swept undercut (right side), mirroring her look in high school, something that catches Fletcher off guard. During breakfast, Fletcher tells Luna that he wanted to go and get some CCTV cameras for the house; she agreed. But suddenly, they get a call from Kona informing them that Nathaniel collapsed and had a stroke. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapters 16-20</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Chapter 16 – Stop?</b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>January 12, 2013 - Ashen Island, Cinders Town, California</span>
  </em>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>They go to the hospital and are greeted by everyone in the family (who were on the island). Most of them still dislike the fact that Luna was still around. But Eliza defended her. Kona calls them to another room. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the room was Fletcher, Luna, Aurelius, and Kona. Aurelius noticed Luna’s wound and asked. She tells them what happened. Aurelius asks Luna if she wants to stop, but [Luna] believes that she's close to cracking the case and wants to continue, even asking for access to Hawkwood Corporations records. Kona doesn't want to allow it but Aurelius authorized it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luna tasks Fletcher with 3 things: 1. Find a connection between Hawkwood Corporations and the towns and sites where the women were killed. 2. Assume that Mathias believed that Midnight Paradox was true (reincarnation revenge; eternal punishment, etc.) and 3. Anyone in the family who has a military or law enforcement background; she wanted to know who was shooting at her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Chapter 17 – All Roads Lead to Home. </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>January 15, 2013 - Cinders Town, California</span>
  </em>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Fletcher goes to the Hawkwood Records facility located at the north end of the town (basically far from Ashen Island). Luna stayed in the cabin, studying her pictures especially one where Riley apparently saw something(or someone) in one of the floats during the Parade that freaked her out causing her to leave the parade early. Thinking that it could be the driver of the float, she goes to the town hall to check the records. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fletcher discovers that after Mathias died, Eliza took the helm of the company. And in all the towns where a woman died, she and Aurelius (who was learning and shadowing her) were there. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luna found more than she was looking for in the town hall. The records keeper was an old gardener for the Hawkwoods. He gave Luna pictures and stories of that day. Turns out that the driver of the float Riley was scared of was Arthur Hawkwood, Nathaniel’s son. She also saw another picture proving that Aurelius was with Arthur during (and after) the Parade. Meaning he lied about the time he got to the island on that day. Luna now believes that Aurelius is the second killer </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Simultaneously, Fletcher found a photo where Aurelius was not with Eliza in the last town where the last woman was killed. He also finds a psych file on him, stating that he is mentally unstable after returning from his service, but was covered up since he was a great businessman. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Chapter 18 – The Gimp. </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>January 15, 2013 - Ashen Island, Cinders Town, California</span>
  </em>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Luna went to Aurelius’ house to confront him, but he wasn't home. She looks around (his house) but finds nothing out of the ordinary. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fletcher tries to call Luna but gets no signal. He dashes out of the building. The guard noticed this and called someone. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>While Luna was looking around, she went to the basement and saw Aurelius’ hunting rifles. And on the other table were four (bullet) casings. Before she could do anything, a tall woman in a black latex suit jumped and knocked her out. Aurelius arrived shortly after with his huge (muscular) Russian friend. He praises the gimp for her actions. He orders the Russian to kill Fletcher using Luna’s gun. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Chapter 19 – Interrogation. </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>January 15, 2013 - Ashen Island, Cinders Town, California</span>
  </em>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Luna  wakes up with her wrists tied above her head. The drug used to knock her out made her legs numb. Aurelius was sitting in front of her. Luna tries to stall (her death) by asking information about why Aurelius did what he did. {Aurelius killed women since he was so confused as to what made them so great that his father wanted him to be with one. Also, the sixth person Mathias supposedly killed was in fact killed by Aurelius in his pursuit of knowledge}. Aurelius knows that Luna is stalling and reveals to her that he sent the Russian to kill Fletcher. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fletcher arrived at the cabin, looking for Luna but he was instead “greeted” by the Russian. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aurelius starts his “ritual” . He plays loud, calming music and dances for a bit before cutting open Luna’s clothes. He gropes her while revealing to her that he has indeed found how women were superior: their ability to give birth. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Since he was too busy groping and feeling Luna, he didn't notice that Fletcher had snuck in. Luna tried her best to move out of the way. Fletcher shot Aurelius, hitting him on the shoulder. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Chapter 20 – The Boss said. </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>January 15, 2013 - Ashen Island, Cinders Town, California</span>
  </em>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>A few minutes earlier. The Russian refused to kill Fletcher with Luna's gun and wanted to beat him to death instead. So they brawl for a bit; Fletcher is out matched but won when he (cleverly) stole the gun and shot the Russian in the head. A limping Fletcher went to Aurelius’ house. Inside, he too was ambushed by the Gimp. Although Fletcher was able to overpower her easily, she was able to stab him in the leg. Fletcher used a stool to knock her out. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapters 21-25</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>EYYY! If you've made it this far, thank you for reading. </p><p>Maybe you can comment your questions or things that didn't make sense and ill try to address/clarify/change them.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Chapter 21 – What we came here for. </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>January 15, 2013 - Ashen Island, Cinders Town, California</span>
  </em>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Aurelius quickly gets behind cover. He pulls out his own gun and gets in a shootout with Fletcher. [Aurelius] runs out of ammo and rushes Fletcher while he is reloading. After a short struggle, Fletcher was able to shoot Luna’s wrist shackles, freeing her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aurelius disarmed [Fletcher] and proceeded to beat him up, even stabbing him in the shoulder. Luna takes the gun and shoots Aurelius 7 times in the gut. Before Aurelius dies, he sees his own internal organs and calls them the most beautiful thing he's ever seen. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Chapter 22 – Messenger. </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>January 25, 2013 - Cinders Town, California</span>
  </em>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Over a week later, Fletcher is finally discharged from the hospital. Luna is convinced that Aurelius didn't kill Riley (he too also doesn't know where she is or what happened to her). Fletcher then hatches a simple plan.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luna goes back to Arcadia Bay and tells Raven about Aurelius’ death. She didn't seem affected by it and simply thanked them for informing her. Turns out that Fletcher (with the help of Emma) has bugged and tapped [Raven's] phone and computer, hoping that she will lead them to Riley (who Luna thinks is still alive but is in hiding). </span>
</p><p>
  <span>2 more weeks pass and she hasn't done anything out of the ordinary. Fletcher firmly believes that Riley is dead. But Luna has one last card to play. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Chapter 23 – The Tale of the Twins. </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>February 11, 2013 - Arcadia Bay, Oregon</span>
  </em>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Luna caught Raven as she was leaving the school. Annoyed at first, Luna drops her bombshell theory: that Raven was in fact Riley. Riley confirms it and tells her the entire story. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>{When she was 16, she (and Raven) discovered a body underneath the tool shed and found out that her father was the murderer. Raven wanted to forget about it but Riley pursued it. She looked into the murder and eventually discovered Midnight Paradox. After that, she discovered that her father had murdered 5 other people, or so she thought. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>One night, she woke up to the sound of someone entering her room. A drunk Mathias was crying while holding a hunting knife, about to stab her while softly saying “the sixth soul must die.” She stopped it; Raven kicked him in the face, and they sprinted out of the house, waking Aurelius while doing so. Riley has prepared for this event and took out a .38 caliber revolver (that she (illegally) bought) from her hiding place. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They run out of the house and near the tool shed. Mathias chased them. Raven tricked Mathias into thinking that she was Riley (the place was dark and it was hard to see anything). Mathias grabbed her neck and was again about to stab her but realized that she wasn't Riley. [Riley] then came out of her hiding spot (inside the shed) and shot Mathias in the chest, killing him instantly (he fell in the lake) and breaking the cycle. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aurelius helps them cover up the murder by taking [Mathias’] own .38 caliber revolver and tossing it in the river beside his body. Riley secretly buried her revolver near the tool shed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sisters thought they were safe but the joy was short lived, Aurelius blackmailed Riley into being her sex slave (which lasted about 6 months). Then Aurelius suddenly had to go to Sweden to study. After 6 months, she saw Aurelius again at the Fish Festival; she finally had enough (of living in fear) and (easily) convinced Raven to help her disappear. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>On the night after the accident, Riley hid in the secret compartment of the tool shed until the morning, where Raven snuck her out of the island. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She pretended to be Raven's boyfriend's sister so that she could go to Canada to live peacefully until Raven died in 1992 due to a car accident but no one knew about it. So she assumed her identity and started living as Raven until present day.}</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When asked how [Luna] found out about the lie, Luna had 3 clues 1. The fact that Raven loved hummingbirds yet there were no decorations or pictures or anything in her office. 2. Raven was left handed while Riley was right handed. 3. Her body language when she showed her a picture of Ellie Davis. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A week later, Riley finally returns to Ashen Island, she sees and hugs Nathaniel for the first time since 1974. Kona gave Luna the information that was promised. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Chapter 24 – Unfinished Business. </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>February 19, 2013 - Ashen Island, Cinders Town, California</span>
  </em>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Luna is furious since the information that was given was proven to be useless… or so she thought. Fletcher finally reveals to her the deal she made with Emma (and that during some parts of the day he would monitor his own investigation). And maybe some information in that file could be useful. (It was a file on Sven during his early days with Hawkwood Industries proving that he stole money from them and “removed” his enemies to start his own company.) Fletcher convinces Luna to stay out of his mission (so that nothing can be traced back to her). </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With Spencer (Emma’s husband) and Fletcher’s combined effort they were able to leak Sven’s connection with Cody’s murder; while Emma was able to “remove” two billion dollars from Sven’s account. Fletcher anonymously contacts A.D. Walters so that they could arrest Sven but the gang he hired to kill Cody killed him after he couldn't pay his retainer. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A week later, Luna’s suspension was lifted and she rejoined the FBI. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Chapter 25 - Requited Love. </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>September 25, 2013 - Arcadia Bay, Oregon</span>
  </em>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>A few months later, while on a road trip to Vancouver, Luna decided to stop by Arcadia Bay to give some closure to Riley. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They met during lunch at Two Whales. Luna reveals to her that she was the reincarnated soul of the detective that failed to solve the crime every time. Riley knew all along since she felt a connection when they first met. Luna asks her what to do with the Midnight Paradox book. Riley takes her to the junkyard where they burn it. Before leaving, Luna commented that the area [junkyard] felt strange (melancholic, even). </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Riley gives her a ride back to Blackwell where she told [Luna] that she has quit her job and is moving to Alaska, continuing to live as Raven Hawkwood there (she just had to take care of some stuff before leaving). [Riley] half joked that maybe Luna can look into Rachel Amber’s disappearance. But Luna told her that she had solved enough missing girls cases in her life. They thank each other for everything and parted ways. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before leaving Blackwell, Max Caulfield takes a photo of [Luna]. Luna isn't too pleased about it and confiscated the photo. Max apologizes for being rude claiming that after seeing her in the news, she only wanted to put her photo in her Max Caulfield photo wall (for the Everyday Heroes contest). Luna felt bad and tried to return the photo but Max refused, apologized again and ran back into the building. [Luna] kept the photo.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luna drives to Fletcher’s house in Seattle. She knocks on the door; Fletcher answers. They smile at each other, signifying the start of a renewed relationship. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Again, Thank you for reading. I am in the process of writing these stories (there are just so many other real life things that get in the way) this is just a way for me to quickly share my thoughts and story ideas.</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry if there are some date inconsistencies. </p><p>Also sorry if there are some characters in the story that are not here (I mainly focused on the main characters)</p><p>The next "Chapter" will be the plot style story.</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>